Al Shamal Stadium to feature Abacus telescopic masts

New Al Shamal Stadium to have HDTV floodlighting on telescopic masts as part of its unique fort design

Qatar: May 2008

Abacus Lighting have won the contract chosen to manufacture, install and commission the floodlighting system at the new Al Shamal Stadium in Qatar. The project is in partnership with the main contractors, Insha of Qatar with the client being the Qatar Olympic Committee.

The ground breaking stadium has been designed with 4 corner turret structures around the football field; these structures mimic the original Al Shamal fort itself. A telescopic mast will disappear down inside each of the 4 turrets when not in use, allowing the stadium to maintain its low profile.

The floodlighting has been designed to meet HDTV standards of 2,000lux for TV transmissions, the masts carrying up to 105 Challenger® 3 2kW floodlights.

High colour rendition is also a prerequisite,to ensure optimum colour definition from short arc 2kW lamps with an Ra of 90 (where daylight is 100).Abacus’ Export Sales Director, John Anthony, commented: "We are proud to be involved with the Al Shamal Stadium as its design is unique and it will be a magnificent showcase for sporting venues in the UAE. It also signifies a continuation of Abacus success in Qatar which goes back 30 years.

During this time we have carried out several major floodlighting installations including Dohar Golf Club and Al Saad Stadium, a venue for the Asian Games 2007, as well as regular ongoing business with Qatar Petroleum."

Al Shamal Stadium represents the first installation for the new stadium telescopic masts from Abacus. Following more than 2 years of development, the installed masts will operate at a height of 43m, lowering to half this height to ensure they are not visible when not in use.

John Anthony added: "The innovation of the stadium telescopic masts is a world first and we are thrilled to establish ourselves as world leaders in the design and manufacture of these mast systems."